Method of producing permanent glaze chintz



A Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PRODUCINGPERMANENT GLAZE CHIN TZ No Drawing. Application July 23, 1936, SerialNo. 92,142

Claims.

This invention relates to the production of a new and useful textilefabric finish of the general nature of that heretofore known as glazedchintz, but in a more permanent and durable 5 form.

Glazed chintz has been known for many years. In general, it comprises acotton or other textile fabric provided with a glazed surface orcoating. This coating has heretofore been produced by a sizing of watersoluble or similar materials which do not withstand hot soap and water.The primary object of the present invention is to produce a finishhaving the general appearance of glazed chintz as commonly known but in'a form which will withstand laundering and be much more permanent anddurable.

According to our invention, the glaze finish is obtained by the use ofresins, by which term we mean to include natural and synthetic resins,condensation products and the like, which can be converted into asubstantially water insoluble form or state. Preferably these resins arealso infusible, and in many cases they are advantageously transparent orsubstantially so, in order that 25 the color or design of dyed andprinted goods may be visible through the finish.

In the production of the glaze chintz finish on textile fabrics, it ishighly important that the coating be very thin, and that it should notsubstantially penetrate into the fibers or the interstitial spaces ofthe fabric. Our method of production, therefore, includes the use of afiller or repellent in the textile fabric at the time of applying theresin or resin-forming composition to the surface of the fabric.Ordinarily, the filler employed is one which would be quiteobjectionable in the finished product, and the resin is applied to butone surface of the goods so that the filler can be readily removed fromthe fabric at a 40. suitable stage after the resin has been applied tothe surface. In this way the fabric per se may have restored to it itsusual or original flexibility and feel, except as modified by the thinsuperficial coating of resin on the one surface. In order to furtherreduce any stiffening effect which may be occasioned by the presence ofthe resin coating, the coated fabric is preferably passed throughsuitable breaker unimsuch as commonly employed in the textile trade tobreak or soften fabrics.

with the above general understanding of the object sought and theprocedure employed for the attainment thereof, a simple description ofone example of carrying out the method of production will enable thoseskilled in the art to fully understand and practice the invention.

A woven cotton cloth of, for example, 39" grey width, 80 x 80 count, 4yards per pound, or cloth of 39" grey width, 68 x 72 count, 4.75 yardsper 5 pound, will represent in general a suitable type of cloth fortreatment. The cloth is preliminarily subjected to the usual singeing,boiling in caustic under pressure, and bleaching. It may thereafter hedyed or printed, or both, in accordance 0 with any standard practice,and may then be considered as ready to undergo the special treatmentsfor the production of the glaze chintz finish. I

The first step in the production of the finish 15 comprises the fillingof the interstices of the cloth with some kind of an inert filler whichcan be easily removed later on. Such a filler may be, for example, anordinary tapioca starch solution or suspension. This filler is appliedby pass 20 ing the cloth through an impregnation box containing thefiller, squeezing out the excess and drying the filled cloth on'cans ortentering frames to proper width, thus changing the filler from fluid tosolid condition. At this stage there may be incorporated into the clotha catalyst to accelerate the drying or condensaiton of the resin whichis to be applied in a subsequent step. Such catalysts or acceleratorsare, of course, well known in the synthetic resin art, and we need onlyinv dicate an example which may be a to 2% aqueous solution of ammoniumchloride, potassium sulphocyanate or the like. This accelerator may beapplied by nip-padding the cloth a second time, although the acceleratormight be applied at the same time with the filler if a filler andaccelerator which are miscible with each other are selected. Obviouslyin the formation of some types of resins the accelerator may be omitted.It is usually preferred, however, as it admits of a complete hardeningof the resin at a temperature which is conveniently low and safe forcotton fabric. When an accelerator is to be used, it is distinctlypreferable to apply it to the goods prior to the application of theresin to the goods rather than afterward, and we furthermore find itdesirable not to incorporate the accelerator directly into the resiningredients or mixture for the reason that the resin mixture is muchmore stable and gives much more uniform results if it does not initiallycontain the accelerator.

Having prepared the filled cloth, with or without the accelerator, thenext step comprises 'the preparing of the surface of the cloth toreceive the coating of resin or resin-forming composition. 65

This preparation is usually carried out by passing the filled cloth onceor twice through a frictioning or glazing calender. The normal effect ofthis treatment is to lay any existing fuzz and close the interstices ofthe cloth, as well as to produce a highly glossy and smooth surface. Theimportance of these results will be apparent. The smooth surface, whichis almost like a paper, does not allow the resin to penetrate into thecloth or to find any depressions or crevices which would give rise toundue or irregular thickness of the resin film at such points. Actualpenetration of the resin to any substantial extent into the goodsthemselves, as for example if no filler were employed, would entirelydefeat the purpose of the invention, since the resulting finish would beextremely stiff, boardy to the touch, and commercially worthless. If anyfibers should protrude from the surface of the cloth, the coating wouldanchor them in their protruding positions, and the resulting surfacewould be extremely harsh to the touch. Furthermore, the\vater-repellency of the final product would be seriously afiected.

Having prepared the goods for the reception of the resin composition,the operator may employ any one of a number of methods for applying theresin composition in the form of a thin continuous film upon the filledand calendered cloth. This may be done, for example, by spraying,brushing or fiowing the liquid resin composition on to the smoothsurface of the cloth in such a way as to provide a very thin and uniformfilm. The procedure we prefer is to flow the resin composition on to theupper surface of the cloth running level in a horizontal plane. Theresin preparation is preferably in the form of a rather thin syrupyliquid and may drain by gravity from a supply trough through one or moredelivery openings, from which point or points it is allowed to-fiow moreor less evenly over the surface of the cloth and leveled off by passingbeneath a steel knife, the edge of which is carefully ground andpolished to a semi-round bevel and extends transversely of the directionof feed. This knife is set at sufficiently close proximity to thesurface of the cloth to ensure the formation of a very thin film orlayer as the cloth passes under it. From this point the cloth is passedto a drying unit, such as for ex ample steam cans or hot air chambers,and thus the resin composition is brought to an intermediate state inwhich the surface is dry enough to be free of tackiness but not yet inthe final hardened stage of the resin. It is quite important in thisoperation to so adjust the drying that the coating is still in asomewhat plastic state, capable of responding to a further surfacetreatment to smooth out any fuzz which may have been raised by thecoating operation, and to give a very intimate and firm bond between theresin coat and the fibers exposed at the surface of the cloth.

This subsequent surface treatment of the coated goods is in the natureof a second glazing operation similar to that describedabove withrespect to the calendering of the filled cloth. The calender roll orequivalent device for performing this operation presses the resincomposition into very firm contact with the cloth surface, and leaves itwith a high gloss or polish. The sequence of operations should be sotimed and regulated that the resin will have reached the insoluble andpreferably infusible state at about the completion of this secondglazing-operation aietfne or immediately thereafter. .At this time thecloth will possess a marked stiffness, due both; to the filler and tothe presence of the hard resin surface.

The filler is then removed from the cloth by the use of any of the knownenzymes which convert the starch used into soluble sugars, which arethen easily washed out. This leaves the cloth in a much softercondition. A boiling soap bath is then employed to remove any looseparticles of hardened resin which may have found their way into theinterior of the cloth, and thereafter the coated cloth is passed througha machine such as employed in the textile trade to break or softenfabrics, such as button break- 'ers, spiral breakers, breakers withrubber blankets over corrugated drums, steel bars over which the clothis drawn, or a simple stenter frame in which the cloth is pulledwidthwise. The effect of this operation is to break up the continuity ofthe resin surface so as to obtain the desired softness or flexibility ofthe finished goods.

The final result of the operations described is a smooth and remarkablyflexible fabric with high surface gloss, very resistant to laundering,heat, mechanical stresses and exposure to sunlight. While the resin filmin the finished goods is not continuous, and hence the cloth is notwaterproof, the product is nevertheless markedly water-repellent. If thecloth is wet and dried, the original luster of the cloth returns ondrying, and there is no appearance of spots or destroyed luster as inthe case of ordinary glazed chintz. Organic solvents, such as are usedin dry cleaning, have no effect whatever upon the luster.

With regard to the resin composition, we prefer to employ one which canbe applied in the form of an aqueous liquid. The principles of theinvention, however, are quite broadly applicable to many different typesof resins. We may mention, for example, the urea formaldehyde type,phenol formaldehyde, polyvinyl resins, polyacrylic acid and derivatives,alkyd resins, such as glyptal, and the casein types. To illustrate aprocedure we have found particularly practical in the manipulation ofthe resin treatment, we

may refer to the preparation and use of a resin of the urea formaldehydetype. The resin composition in the initial stage is produced by boilingfor thirty minutes a mixture of 120 grams urea, 324 c. c. of 40%formaldehyde solution (formalin), and 10 c. c. of strong ammoniasolution. After thirty minutes boiling, the mixture is cooled to roomtemperature and the resin will have a syrupy consistency which canreadily be applied to the cloth in the form of a thin even film in themanner already described. This resin preparation is quite stable andremains in liquid state almost indefinitely until after it has beenbrought into contact with the cloth prepared with the accelerator aspreviously explained. Under the conditions recited, the hardening of theresin proceeds at a sufficiently low rate to permit the drying of thesolution to a non-tacky state at a temperature slightly above the normalboiling point of water, without immediate hardening to the infusiblestate. The hardening action is, however, progressive, and it istherefore desirable to so regulate the drying temperature and the timingof the successive operations that the resin will not be too far hardenedprior to the final glazing operation to which we have referred. It must,of course.

be understood that supplemental or additional hardening of the resinafter this final glazing operation may be employed if necessary ordesired. The thinness of the coating, while subject to some adjustmentat the option of the operator, is preferably such that the coating isjust sufilcient to ensure the actual covering of all portionsof thesurface of the cloth. Some uniting or binding action may occur at theactual contacting surfaces of the starch filler and the resin coating,which may even contribute to'some extent to the marked adhesion orpermanence of the union of the coating with the cloth. It must,therefore, be understood that the removal of the filler is notnecessarily complete to the extent that the last/traces are removed atthe surface of contact between the filler and the coating.

While we have mentioned the infusible character of the finished resin,we wish this term to be understood as more or less relative, anessential condition being that the finished resin is not fusible at theordinary temperatures of laundering and ironing. In its broader aspects,the invention includes the application of a dry resin to the cloth inthe state of approximate fusion in a hot friction calender, and in suchcase we should prefer to select a resin which is not fusible at theordinary ironing temperatures.

We claim: a

1. Method of producing glazed chintz, which comprises applying to thecloth a temporary filler,

calendering the filled cloth to a smooth, densesurface to limitpenetration of a subsequently applied resin coating preparation, coatingone face of the cloth, on the smooth, dense surface thus prepared, witha hardenable resin coating preparation in the form of an aqueous liquid,drying the coating preparation, calendering the coated goods to forcethe resin coating into firm contact with the filled cloth, andsubsequently removing the temporary filler.

2. Method of producing glazed chintz, which comprises applying to thecloth a temporary filler, calendering the filled cloth to a smooth,

dense surface to limit penetration of a subsequently applied resincoating preparation, coating one face of the cloth, on the smooth, densesurface thus prepared, with a hardenable resin coating preparation inthe form of an aqueous liquid, drying the coating preparation,calendering the coated goods to force the resin coating into firmcontact with the filled cloth, subse-' quently removing the temporaryfiller, and breaking up the continuity of the resin coating.

3. Method of producing glazed chintz, which comprises applying to thecloth a temporary filler, calendering the filled clothto asmooth,

dense surface to limit penetration of a subsequently applied syntheticresin coating preparation, coating one face of the cloth, on the smooth,dense surface thus prepared, with a hardenable synthetic resin coatingpreparation in the form of an aqueous liquid, drying the coatingpreparation on the goods to a non-tacky condition, friction calenderingthe coated goods While the setting of the resin is in progress, toobtain a highly glossy surface and to force the resin coating into firmcontact with the filled cloth, subsequently removing the temporaryfiller and breaking up the continuity of the resin coating.

4. Method of producing glazed chintz, which comprises applying to thecloth a temporary filler, calendering the filled cloth to a smooth,

dense surface to limit penetration of a subsequently applied syntheticresin coating preparation, coating one face of the cloth, on the smooth,dense surface thus prepared, with a hardenable synthetic resin coatingpreparation in the form of an aqueous liquid, drying the coatingpreparation on the goods to a non-tacky condition, friction calenderingthe coated goods while the setting of the resin is in progress, toobtain a highly glossy surface and to force the resin coating into firmcontact with the filled cloth, further setting the resin coating to asubstantially water-insoluble state, after the completion of thefriction calendering operation, subsequently removing the temporaryfiller andbreaking up the continuity of the resin coating.

5. Method of producing glazed chintz, which comprises applying to thecloth a temporary filler, drying and 'calendering'the filled cloth to asmooth, dense surface to limit penetration of a subsequently appliedurea formaldehyde coating preparation, applying upon the smooth, densesurface thus provided a coating of aqueous preparation of an initialstage of a urea formaldehyde resin, drying the coating to a non-tackystate, friction calendering the coated goods while the setting of theurea formaldehyde resin is in progress, to obtain a highly glossysurface and to force the resin coating into firm contact with the filledcloth, further setting the urea formaldehyde resin to asubstantiallywater-insoluble state, after said friction calendering operation,removing the temporary filler and breaking up the continuity of the ureaformaldehyde resin coating.

DENIS DE GOENCZ. EDMUND C. TARNUZZER. ALFRED F. STOCKWELL.

